Jofra Archer faces disciplinary action from the ECB ahead of England return

England star Jofra Archer could be fined by the ECB for wearing the WRONG COLOUR SOCKS on his long-awaited return to action for Sussex. Archer, 30, began his first red-ball match since 2021 on Sunday, as he continues to his long road back to the English Test side.

The fast bowler took one wicket for 28 runs on day two, as Sussex headed north to play Durham at Chester-le-Street in the County Championship. While Archer looked in decent touch with both bat and ball, his socks could land him in trouble with the ECB.

County Championship regulations say that 'socks must be white or light grey only', but instead the 30-year-old wore black ones. Archer's faux pas could result in a fine or a warning from the ECB.

That's the kind of punishment which India captain Shubman Gill is facing after he was also spotted wearing black socks against England at Headingley on Friday. Despite hitting a first-innings century, Gill is looking at a formal warning or a fine between 10 and 20 per cent of his match fee.

According to clause 19.45 of the ICC's Clothing and Equipment Rules, players can only wear 'white, cream, or light grey' socks in Test matches. If his breach was accidental or his correct socks were unusable, however, he could escape a penalty.

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Gill could end up facing Archer in the second Test as Edgbaston which begins on Wednesday, July 2. Having played for England in one-day matches in 2025, he's on the brink of finally returning to the Test team after years of injury torment.

Archer's return would be timely, as England are embarking on a huge year of Test cricket. On top of five home matches against India stretching until August, November sees England travel to face Australia in the Ashes.

National selector Luke Wright revealed earlier this month when England hope to have Archer back available. "Jof's also trucking along really well actually," Wright said.

"The plan is for him to play a few second-team games, loading up in the second team for Sussex. And then the idea for him is to play for Sussex against Durham during the first Test. Then if all things go well, fingers crossed, he should be available for the second Test."

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England captain Ben Stokes recently revealed how eager Archer is to play, even asking to be picked for May's one-off Test at home to Zimbabwe. "He's been absolutely desperate to put the white shirt back on. Randomly, a couple of times, he would just send me a text saying, 'Zim?'," Stokes said.

"I was like, 'Let's just hold it there, all right. I know you're in a good spot right now, but let's not just rush into it. He's obviously had a horrific time with injuries, but he's had some good amount of cricket, albeit in the white-ball formats.

"It's really exciting for England, but also more exciting for Jof that he’s in a position now where wer'e able to have a plan in place and hopefully him get through something to actually be considered for selection for Test cricket."